(PF: R) Arkansas
Agent Arkansas, affectionately nicknamed Ark by certain teammates and John by Agent Nevada, is a member of Project Freelancer: Rebirth. He serves as one of the sharpshooters and close-quarters-combat specialists. Backstory Agent Arkansas, real name John Marshall Reed, was born on March 25th, 2529 in England to an unknown mother and father. He was left on the doorstep of the town's orphanage, where he remained for another eighteen years. He lived alone with the kind caretakers and other orphans, which led to him having trouble with "close" relationships, romantic and family wise. Instead, he was a great friend type. Notably, John supposedly dropped "off the grid" for three years following his seventeenth birthday, but reappeared a week before his twentieth. No one knows what happened to him, but he didn't seem as trusting around others afterward. On his twentieth birthday, John joined the UNSC in order to "do some good with his life". He quickly found a niche as a sharpshooter and CQB specialist, especially with knives and his custom-made bolt-action sniper rifle. After training, John went on a long-term tour of the galaxy, aging nine years. Eventually, his skill reached the ears of the Director of Project Freelancer: Rebirth, who personally sent an invitation to join the program. John accepted and went through orientation, befriending Emily Wilson in the process. He, another man and Emily passed. He gained the title "Arkansas" while Emily became "Nevada". Over some time, Arkansas developed good relationships with other freelancers and, somehow, managed to befriend perhaps the deadliest one in the program, Agent Carolina. Arkansas' Darkside: The Price of Revenge The Beginning A day or so after York's death, Connecticut, Maine and Arkansas were tasked with removing insurrectionist forces from a vital UNSC Oil Platform. During the briefing, the Director says to use any force necessary, but to spare the workers if possible. As the other agents left, the Director asked Arkansas to stay. Then, he let it slip that Arkansas knew the man leading the insurrectionists, and hints that he nearly killed Arkansas in the past. Ark grows cold and nods before leaving. Along the way to the planet, Maine and Arkansas bicker while CT looks on. He silently notes that Ark seems to have become more aggressive, nearly on par with Texas, since the Director asked him to stay. They land and make their way to the plant, eliminating any rebels along the way. Upon entering the general vicinity, the man leading the insurrectionists announces that they have company, and that he'll kill them himself should they retreat. Revelations Arkansas decides that then is a good time to reveal a ten year secret. As the team neared a bridge, Ark tells them he needs to get something off his chest. Maine watches on silently as Ark says that the man in charge is named Marco, and that he and John (Ark) worked together a long time ago, forming a crime syndicate. They were best friends, until Marco decided that they could go down to street muggings instead of high class robberies. Upon John's refusal, Marco had John's personal guard restrain him while he beat him to a pulp with a metal bar. Marco then proceeded to press a gun against John's chest - right above his heart - and pulled the trigger. CT voices skeptisism, distrust, and amazement that Arkansas - the apparently not-so-physically strong and happy-go-lucky sniper - survived a gunshot. John defends his hatred for Marco, and explains that the "most stubborn of people can survive anything...rage is a hell of an anesthetic". The three proceed into the oil factory, where Marco appears and mocks Arkansas for going "good" despite his crimes. Ark reaches for his assault rifle, but Marco points out that he has height and numbers, and dares Ark to give him a reason to gun him down again. Ark darts forward, aiming for a gas pipe behind Marco. The rebel leader mocks the freelancers eye sight, before Ark says "fry you son of a bitch" and shoots the pipe. The pipe explodes, wounding Marco and killing off several rebels. Ark begins slamming the butt of his gun against the main gas line, causing a rupture and opening a way to catch up to Marco. True Personality CT, enraged that Arkansas was being careless, berates him for risking the lives of the workers there, but the younger freelancer dismisses his concerns and proceeds onward. CT and Maine begrudgingly follow. CTs point is proven later on, as a worker who managed to escape appears on a catwalk above them, and requests help in shutting off the valves, as the flames have spread and risk the destruction of the entire plant. Arkansas remains adament in killing Marco, and ignores CT's orders to save the civillians, forcing him to send Maine after Arkansas to ensure he survives while York goes off to shut off the valves. Catching Up Arkansas manages to catch up to Marco, and fires his M6G, hitting a container of gas. The gas leaks in front of Marco, who doesn't notice as he frighteningly turns to Arkansas. He begs his partner to spare his life, slowly trying to get away. Arkansas ignores his pleas and shoots him in the knee cap, causing him to collapse in the pool of gas. Marco pleads to Arkansas, then to Maine, who silently watches on. Arkansas draws a cigarrette and a lighter, igniting the stick and taking a drag. He then flicks it into the pool of gas, wishing Marco luck in hell. He turns and walks away as the flames consume Marco. The flames catch up to the gas tank and explode, killing the rebel leader instantly. CT catches up to them, angry that Ark would risk the lives of more than thirty people, most likely having a family like he does, just to kill one man. Ark justifies his actions, saying that if Marco got away, more people with families would have been placed in harms way and that he was doing those people a favor. CT and Arkansas nearly get into a firefight but, surprisingly, Maine steps in just as the transport back to the base arrives. The Director, pleased at how the mission ended, moves Arkansas up to number ten. In reality, the mission was the first tesing of "Nexus", a mind-control chip installed in the helmet of an agent. Arkansas proved that it could work, unknowingly performing the Director's orders without objection. Repercussions Nevada eventually catches up to Arkansas and voices her displeasure at Arkansas' decision. Arkansas, having enough of every one questioning his morals, curses her out and tells her to leave him alone. He even goes so far to threaten to not save her should she be stuck in a firefight with no way out. Nevada punches him in the face and storms off. York's Legacy Arkansas, along with Nevada, appears during the present section of the prologue, arriving to Carolina's room with Sharon Brown in tow. Ark exhibits surprise when Sharon uses Carolina's real name, but waves it off. Ark reminded Carolina to introduce his friend, and acknowledges Sharon as York's ex-wife. After Sharon tries to get Carolina to open up, Arkansas jokes around that Maine, Texas, North and Wash would look down on him for doing so. Ark turns when ordered to by Carolina as he prepares to remove his helmet, but takes a small peek out of the corner of his eye. Later, Ark and Nev stand outside the base as Sharon prepares to leave, with Arkansas promising to make sure "Carolina doesn't do anything extreme" and that she can "count on him". He then proceeds to ignore the joking banter between the two women. Appearance Arkansas wears a complete set of RECON armor, albeit two different variants developed at seperate times. The helmet's attachment was personally added by him, being an UA/HUL (3) attachment. The first set was colored a deep steel, borderline black. The second was changed to a base of blue with detail colors of a lighter steel, borderline silver. Outside of armor, he stands at 5" 9'. He has auburn colored hair is quite shaggy, matching his green eyes. His skin is average, with a thin face and nose. Not normally seen is a large scar over the left side of his chest, more specifically over his heart. He doesn't explain it but mentions it's "a reminder of a bad past". Personality Arkansas is often friendly, kind and extremely boisterous, though he only is to get a random reaction from teammates. He likes to try and get to know his other freelancer teammates and will not stop even if threatened with personal harm or even death, because he knows that they wouldn't, even with how much they'd like to believe they would. In fact, the only person John seems to dislike or even hate is Agent Maine, whom he's dubbed "Fishbowl". His boisterous personality often follows him along on missions, to the point of jeering harshly over the radio after killing someone. The insults are of varying degrees, but often involve how the enemy is "big-headed" and how it's easy to get a headshot off of them. He's often told to "shut up", as his jeers grind even the most calm persons nerves. Following being told to "shut up", he often proceeds to sing songs under his breath, ranging from country songs to alternative rock that were developed hundreds of years ago. When off duty with nothing to do, Ark even walks around the base singing aloud. Whether it be working on a Warthog or adjusting the scope on his rifle, he always makes a song out of it. Despite how annoying this could be, other freelancers have noted that Ark is actually a "really good singer" and could've had a job as a singer instead of a freelance agent. When EXTREMELY bored, Ark breaks out into song in the middle of the mess hall, going so far as to jumping onto the tables and dancing. Arkansas is actually deeply philosophical, emotional and religious, but he masks it all with humor and a "happy-go-lucky" personality that most people can like. The only time this breaks is when something large, like the death of a friend, occurs. He tends to cry and say few parting words before stalking off and praying that they went to some place better. Having grown up in an orphanage with other, non-related kids and caretakers have led him to settle in fine in Rebirth, often comparing it back to the orphanage. He even says that "all the people are there". He compares Tex, Wash, North, and Maine to the older kids who "were often dicks but still cared", and everyone else as "the younger kids, like me". Arkansas also appears to suffer from many phobias, as listed here: arachniphobia (fear of spiders), hydrophobia (fear of water), achluophobia (fear of darkness), chiroptophobia (fear of bats), and ophiodiophobia (fear of snakes). A couple of the other freelancers poke fun at him for these fears, mostly Maine and Texas, and pull "pranks" involving a variety of these. This only intensifies Arkansas' disdain for them. Skills and Abilities Arkansas holds many unique skills, often standing out as an "overwatch sniper" and a "front-line soldier" combined into one essence. Sharpshooting Arkansas maintains intense focus while looking through the scope of a sniper rifle, nearly to the point where it seems time slows down. This allows him to easily pick out numerous targets on a single battlefield and take down the most important ones, giving his teammates enough time to move up and flank the enemy. His situational awareness also applies to around him, allowing him to keep his eye on the scope and also keep an eye on his back. Mid/Close-Ranged Combat Arkansas, to compensate for his apparent lack in self-defense at close range, often equips himself with either dual SMGs - the only agent doing so - or an MA5C Assault Rifle. He typically only uses it when in immediate danger at mid-to-short range, and is not too shabby with the weapons themselves. Blade Work Arkansas keeps two austrailian made knives tucked away in sheaths attached to his hips, called "Kukris". They are often made with a notable "bend" in the blade, giving them more power when slashing downward. As a result, Ark prefers them when the enemy gets too close for comfort. He is highly skilled with them, able to evade and slash whenever there is an opening. Agility and Focus A notable trait the sharpshooter possesses is his agility and focus. They're most likely caused by the speed of his jet boosters, making him used to sudden spins in mid air and "from-the-hip" shooting. He also adapts these abilities to other tactics, often in training sessions to help him out-last most other freelancers. His focus lets him analyze a persons movements, allowing him to plan in advance. That, combined with his agility, lets him avoid most hits. In fact, the only two people who can bring an early end to his survival are both Texas and Carolina. Armor Enhancement Arkansas' armor enhancement was, unlike other freelancers whom had their armor enhancement removable, built into his armor. It was more specifically placed on the back of both shoulders. The enhancement itself is a Jet Boosters which enable Arkansas to fly and boost himself. The Jet Boosters were based off of old UNSC Jet Pack technology. Due to the speed of the jets, Arkansas trained himself to be a good shot even when using it. As a result, he's used to sniping and gunning down targets at high speed. The enhancement itself has a unique feature: it's solar powered. While in direct sun exposure, the power decreases and increases simoultaneously, meaning power at 100% stays there. While in the dark or at night, the power slowly goes down; at least 2% per minute. Ark often only works day missions, and often drops out of missions requiring darkness and stealth because of this. However, Ark has acquired, through unknown means, a Dark Matter Converter, allowing a continuous collection of energy. The energy has been noted as used during night time operations, effectively compensating for Arks' dependance on back-up energy. In reality, because of the working relationship between South Carolina and Arkansas, South gave Ark a backup generator. Following the death of York, Arkansas received his overshields. Ark considers it a good gift and thanks York for doing so. He uses it to good use, essentially becoming a near-indestructible, precision shot fly-boy. Because of this, Ark regulated his position from simple overwatch to main action as well. Gallery Vanity 634277034737818387.png|Arkansas getting an upgrade. Reconarmor3.jpg|Agent Arkansas while under Nexus. Relationships The Director Arkansas often questions the Director, openly and secretly, to the Directors disliking. As a result, Ark is one of the lower ranked Freelancers on the board. Ark also wonders why he was chosen as a freelancer, as he was just "a typical grunt" with normal sniping skills. To Ark, that is his greatest mystery. The Counselor Surprisingly, the most important relationship Arkansas has is with the Counselor, whom he seems to trust the most out of everyone involved in the Rebirth Program. He shared many secrets with the man, explaining that he was "cursed" with photographic memory, which has adverse affects on his psyche, primarily because he remembers each wound he took and each person he's killed. He also shows numerous tears in emotions, breaking down one moment and punching a wall the next. The Counselor, somehow, always manages to relieve the stress Arkansas exhibits, to the agents relief. Agent North Dakota North is the only other person Arkansas absolutely hates, which is odd since North respects him. Arkansas hates him because of his arrogance and the fact that the Director favors him above all others, and the fact that he hates his best friend, Carolina. North, on the other hand, respects Ark for his skill with a sniper rifle and his "standing out" amongst the other agents despite not being on the board. Agent Maine Being the only person Arkansas dislikes, Maine has received the nickname "Fishbowl". The animosity has no apparent beginning, otherwise simply started from the amount of distaste between the two. Despite this, Ark pushed Maine away from certain death, dying to ensure Maine survived. This probably hints that Ark didn't fully hate Maine, or it was caused by the adrenaline rush of the battle. Ironically enough, despite the equal amount of hatred, Maine is one of the few agents who know Ark's dark past. Others include Carolina, Nevada, and York before he died. Agent Connecticut Arkansas likes Connecticut because of his open and trustworthy personality. He often chats with CT before and after missions, and tries to mantain peace between CT, Carolina and Maine. It hasn't been very successful so far. Agent South Carolina Arkansas was initially curious about the aggressive yet secretive agent and personally asked the Director for more information, being denied for the sole reason of him not having any information. Ark, despite the warnings of possible death by the other agents, began his attempts to get to know Caro. After the first few tries, Caro had one thing to say to Ark: "Will you shut up when on a mission? One of these days you're going to bust my ears." That was the first milestone of success. Eventually, Ark managed to break through Caro's icy outside and enter Caro's even icier inside, essentially becoming one of his friends. Ark respects Caro, sympathizing about being underestimated (do to the constant mocking of snipers), and takes his advice to heart. He often considers Caro to be an older brother. Caro is the only person, besides Texas, to know of Arkansas' feelings for Nev. Agent Washington Arkansas has grown to have small conversations with Washington, trying a new strategy of "going slow" instead of being "prying" like he has in the past. Has no current opinion of Washington. Agent Wyoming Similar to Wyomings personality, Arkansas goes from enjoying his fellow freelancers jokester persona to despising the cold, calculating one. Though he does often compare Wyoming to some of the other marines he knew during his tenure in the UNSC, so Ark finds Wyoming tolerable. Agent South Dakota Ark has tried on numerous occasions to get through South's icy exterior, hoping the fact that they trained together to enter Rebirth would help. Sadly, it has not and Ark has decided Dakota's a lost cause. Agent Nevada Around the time Arkansas first joined the program, both he and Nevada are close friends. They spent most of their time poking fun at one another, having shooting contests, and practicing hand-to-hand/knife combat. They also often bicker back and forth while off duty. However, later on, following the oil platform mission, their friendship crumbled and both have refused speaking to each other. Ark eventually managed to apologize to Nevada for his behaviour and their friendship continued. They quickly resumed their joking attititude, and Ark eventually joined Carolina in his teasing of Nevada about her sexuality. Nevada, in return, did the same thing, often pairing Carolina and Arkansas together. Nevada is the only person to call Arkansas by his real name, often breaking regulations against using their real names. The Director and Counselor seem to overlook this though. This could possibly be a sign of a relationship, or a confirmation of their mutual affection, but both deny that there is anything romantic going on between them. Nevada was the second person Ark informed about his past with the rebels. Agent Texas Arkansas is notably weary around Texas. He is visibly disgusted by Texas' MO and confrontational personality. He does attempt to "play nice" around him, but often exhibits grated nerves from Texas' teasing toward the other members of the program he's on good terms with. Ark has been noted to get into scuffles occasionally with Texas, but not too serious. However, Ark eventually challenged Texas to a one on one fist fight. Somehow, the victor was kept secret and Ark and Texas refuse to comment on it. However, when the two are alone, they grin and admit "that was one hell of a fight". This hints that Ark is warming up to Texas. Agent Utah There has been no notable interaction between the two, besides the recent mission where Ark managed to save Utah's life. Agent New York Arkansas trusts York enough to admit how he feels for Nevada, and often asks for any advice on how to handle a possible relationship. The most York can say is "wait and see". Ark takes York's words to heart and thanks him. He was devasted when York died and spent a couple days mourning. A little while after, York's overshields landed in Ark's lap, and Ark vows to protect York's family for everything he did for him. Arkansas and York's relationship was strained during the oil platform mission, to the point of each of them holding a gun to each other's faces. Luckily, Maine managed to step in and prevent them from killing each other. York was the fourth to discover Ark's past, but didn't have any visible reaction to the revelation. Sharon Brown Arkansas considers Sharon a friend, as both she and he care about Carolina's well being. Arkansas personally promises her that he'll keep an eye on him, and would personally back him up in case anything happened. Death Arkansas, Maine and Texas were away on a mission and came under fire from opposition. Maine began to push forward under his teammates cover fire, but a heavy machine gun turret began to rev up, far out of Maine's line of sight. Ark noticed and tried to take him out, but his sniper clicked empty. Having no other precision weapon and not having enough time to warn the other man about the danger, Ark shoved him out of the way as the gun began to shoot. Ark took numerous rounds to the chest until he managed to get out of the line of fire. He lay bleeding out while Texas and Maine took out the remaining opposition and radioed for evac. Ark was barely stabilized on the flight back and a full surgery took place. The doctors eventually let Carolina visit him. Ark admitted that he wouldn't make it and made Caro swear to protect Nevada, no matter what. A moment later, his head fell back and he flatlined. The doctors forced Caro out and began to try and stabilize him. They failed. Notable Quotes and Conversations Trivia *Arkansas speaks with a deep, unique english accent, stemming from his years spent in England. **Arkansas' backstory, along with the way he speaks and his mission to the Oil Platform were based off of and are references to Zaeed Massani, a Blues Sun Founder in Mass Effect 2 and 3, and possible squad mate in the former. *Arkansas' rifle is actually an "Intervention" from the series Modern Warfare in Call of Duty. *Arkansas' shoulder jets were actually based off of the new anti-gravity boosters added to the RiG's in the game, Dead Space 2. *Arkansas' named stems from the name of the man who voices the Director from the canon Red vs Blue series. *Arkansas shares several, unintended similarities with another freelancer character by the same creator. Said freelancer character is Agent California, a fanon agent during the first project. **Both use kukri's in case an enemy gets too close. **Both fill in a support role, Cal being a heavy weapons and explosives specialist, and Ark being a sharpshooter and rifleman. **Both have similar early backgrounds: i.e. both were orphans. **Both fill in a "mediator" part in both of their respective programs. **Both die late in their respective stories. *Arkansas' fighting style can be compared to the original North Dakota's style. They are both skilled sharpshooters and aren't too shabby in an all-out firefight. When combined with a partner, Nevada in Arkansas' case and South Dakota in North's case, the fight becomes heavily weighed on their side. *Arkansas, similar to Carolina, has two themes. The first is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zoL5c2Pe1s&feature=my_favorites&list=FLHFp9hz8nq-aPkGuwJcxJAQ Raised by the Wolves by Falling in Reverse] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ6XRmAVmOk&feature=my_favorites&list=FLHFp9hz8nq-aPkGuwJcxJAQ Light Up the Sky by Yellowcard]. Category:Project Freelancer: Rebirth